1955 Kansas City Athletics
LeagueAmerican League
BallparkMunicipal Stadium
CityKansas City, Missouri
OwnersArnold Johnson
ManagersLou Boudreau
RadioKMBC
(Merle Harmon, Larry Ray)

The 1955 Kansas City Athletics season was the 55th season for the franchise in MLB's American League, and the first season in Kansas City after playing the previous 54 in Philadelphia. The team won 63 games – only the fifth time in 20 years that they won more than 60 games – and lost 91, finishing sixth in the American League, 33 games behind the AL Champion New York Yankees.

Offseason

In 1954, the Mack family decided to sell the Philadelphia Athletics. Charlie Finley made an offer to purchase the team, but was refused.[1] Clint Murchison also made an offer to purchase the team with plans to relocate to Southern California, but was also refused. On October 12, 1954, the owners approved the sale of the Athletics to Chicago businessman Arnold Johnson, who moved the team from Philadelphia to Kansas City for the 1955 season. Finley would later buy the A's from Johnson's estate in 1960. Murchison's son, Clint Jr., would later become one of the founders of the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys franchise in 1960.

In 1955, the new Kansas City Athletics drew 1,393,054 to Municipal Stadium.

Notable transactions

  • Prior to 1955 season: Bob Davis was signed as an amateur free agent by the Athletics.[2]

Spring training

The A's and Philadelphia Phillies had played a Philadelphia City Series since 1903. The Kansas City A's returned to Philadelphia at the end of spring training in 1955, and the teams played two games. The A's beat the Phillies in the second game, 10–2, at Wilmington Park, home of the original Wilmington Blue Rocks.[3] Both games were played at Wilmington Park, Wilmington, Delaware, on April 9 and April 10, 1955, immediately prior to the start of the regular season.

Regular season

Opening game

The first game in Kansas City's Major League history was played at home at Municipal Stadium on Tuesday, April 12, 1955, before 32,147 fans.[4] Facing the Detroit Tigers, the Athletics broke a 2–2 deadlock in the sixth inning with a three-run rally keyed by pinch hitter Don Bollweg's two-run single, and went on to win, 6–2. The A's other batting star was center fielder Bill Wilson, who collected three hits and a base on balls, scoring three runs, in four plate appearances; one of his hits was the first home run in Kansas City MLB annals, a solo blast in the eighth inning. Left-hander Alex Kellner got the victory, while former Cincinnati Reds star Ewell Blackwell pitched three scoreless innings in relief for the save.[4]

Starting lineup

  7Vic Power1B
12Pete Suder2B
  4Jim Finigan   3B
30Gus ZernialLF
34Bill RennaRF
32Bill WilsonCF
  2Joe DeMaestri   SS
11Joe AstrothC
20Alex KellnerP[4]

Season standings

American League W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 9658 0.623 — 52–25 44–33
Cleveland Indians 9361 0.604 3 49–28 44–33
Chicago White Sox 9163 0.591 5 49–28 42–35
Boston Red Sox 8470 0.545 12 47–31 37–39
Detroit Tigers 7975 0.513 17 46–31 33–44
Kansas City Athletics 6391 0.409 33 33–43 30–48
Baltimore Orioles 5797 0.370 39 30–47 27–50
Washington Senators 53101 0.344 43 28–49 25–52

Record vs. opponents

1955 American League record

Sources:
Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET KCA NYY WSH
Baltimore —8–1410–12–13–199–1310–12–13–1914–8
Boston 14–8—9–1311–1113–914–88–1415–7
Chicago 12–10–113–9—10–1214–814–811–1117–5
Cleveland 19–311–1112–10—12–1017–513–99–13
Detroit 13–99–138–1410–12—12–1010–1217–5
Kansas City 12–10–18–148–145–1710–12—7–1513–9
New York 19–314–811–119–1312–1015–7—16–6
Washington 8–147–155–1713–95–179–136–16—

Notable transactions

Roster

1955 Kansas City Athletics
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
CJoe Astroth10127469.252523
1BVic Power147596190.3191976
2BJim Finigan150549135.255968
SSJoe DeMaestri123457114.249637
3BHéctor López128483140.2901568
LFGus Zernial120413105.2543084
CFHarry Simpson112396119.301552
RFEnos Slaughter10826786.322534

[10]

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Elmer Valo112283103.364337
Bill Wilson9827361.2231538
Bill Renna10024953.213728
Billy Shantz7921756.258112
Pete Suder268117.21001
Clete Boyer477919.24106
Jack Littrell377014.20001
Jerry Schypinski226915.21705
Dick Kryhoski284710.21302
Tom Saffell9378.21601
Spook Jacobs13236.26101
Bill Stewart11182.11100
Don Plarski8111.09100
Alex George5101.10000
Don Bollweg1291.11102
Jim Robertson682.25000
Hal Bevan330.00000
Eric Mackenzie110.00000

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games played; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Alex Kellner30162.21184.2075
Bobby Shantz23125.05104.5458
Arnie Portocarrero24111.1594.7734
Vic Raschi20101.1465.4238
Glenn Cox22.10230.862

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Art Ditmar35175.112125.0379
Art Ceccarelli31123.2475.3168
Cloyd Boyer3098.1556.2232
Ray Herbert2387.2186.2630
Johnny Gray826.2036.4111
Mike Kume623.2027.997
Walt Craddock415.0027.809
Gus Keriazakos511.20112.348

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Tom Gorman5776183.5546
Bill Harrington343324.1126
Johnny Sain252515.4412
Lou Sleater161107.7111
Marion Fricano100003.155
Moe Burtschy720010.329
Charlie Bishop41005.404
Bob Trice40009.002
Lee Wheat300022.500
Ewell Blackwell20106.752
Bob Spicer200033.752
Ozzie Van Brabant200018.001
Sonny Dixon200016.200
Bill Wilson10000.001

Awards and honors

All-Star Game

[11]

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Columbus Jets International League Nick Cullop
A Savannah Athletics Sally League Clyde Kluttz
B Lancaster Red Roses Piedmont League Hank Biasatti
C Hot Springs Bathers Cotton States League Joe Lutz and Mickey O'Neil
C Burlington A's Provincial League Vince Plumbo
D Welch Miners/Marion A's Appalachian League Herb Mancini
D Seminole Oilers Sooner State League Charles Hopkins and Al Evans

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lancaster
Welch franchise transferred to Marion and renamed, July 14, 1955

References

  1. ↑ Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, pp. 27, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
  2. ↑ Bob Davis page at Baseball Reference
  3. ↑ Peterson, John E. (2003). Kansas City Athletics: A Baseball History, 1954–1967. McFarland. p. 52. ISBN 0-7864-1610-6. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 Retrosheet box score: 1955-04-12
  5. ↑ Enos Slaughter page at Baseball Reference
  6. ↑ Clete Boyer page at Baseball Reference
  7. ↑ Al Sima page at Baseball Reference
  8. ↑ Joe Ginsberg page at Baseball Reference
  9. ↑ Glenn Cox page at Baseball Reference
  10. ↑ "1955 Kansas City Athletics Statistics".
  11. ↑ "1955 All-Star Game".
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